"Directions to Face When Eating" and "The Importance of Eating in Silence"
Hinduism, despite what the West and the western educated Hindus prefer to believe, is a religion that is scientific in everything that it has prescribed to its adherents or followers. We have come to this earthly plane only for one purpose, and that is to attain God and nothing less. All other duties that have been imposed upon us in the course of our lifetime are mere ancillaries that are sine qua non of the incarnation that we have accepted.
From conception to emancipation, every aspect of a Hindu's life has been properly regulated for the singular purpose of achieving the said object of our birth in this planet. On the issue of eating, something which every living thing regularly does, the Hindu scriptures have given us guidance so that we can derive the maximum benefits from it and maintain our existence here on earth.
Eat in Silence
The first rule of eating is silence. Manusmriti 3:236 says, "All the food should be eaten... in silence."
Mahabarata Book 13 on Anusasana Parva, Section 104, on this, says, “Panchaardhro Bhojanam Kuryaat Praangmukho Mounam Aasthtita: Na Nindet Anna Bhakshyaamscha Svaadu Asvaadu Cha Bhakshayet”. That is, one should at all times eat (bhojanam) in silence (mounam).
On this issue of silence, Swami Sri Sivananda says, "Observe Mouna (silence) during food," (=when you're consuming food) (pg. 111, Yoga in Daily Life), and "Observe silence when you take your food," (pg. 85, Health & Happiness). And, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi says, "Eat in silence... God loves silence" (December 10, Spiritual Diary by Paramahansa Yogananda).
It is sinful to talk and eat at the same time. Mahatmas and Hindu scriptures have prescribed the rule that one should, after offering prayers to honour the food, eat one's meal in silence. That is, one should concentrate on what one eats, without looking at one's mobile phone, or swiping the phone, or reading what has been posted on the Facebook, Twitter or else. Great many of them love watching TV or videos on YouTube, a habit that is both deleterious to one's mind and health. One's concentration should solely be on act of eating, which a sacred act that one daily performs to keep oneself healthy and alive.
Research on Multitasking Says
According to eating behavior research, the lack of conversation, music or other noise could change how your body reacts to eating. The absence of sound while you’re stuffing your face appears to heighten other sensations in your body, which could change how you experience your food and, possibly, your relationship with it. Eating in silence affects your body’s reaction to food in four main ways:
1. You eat a lot less: “Our brains keep track of the amount of food sensations that occur,” says Professor Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford in England. “When there is no noise, eating becomes more tactical; and there is more smell sensation, because the auditory sensation of noise isn’t overloading the brain — it is able to attend to the task of eating.” And since there is less distraction, the satiety signals that your stomach sends to your brain are actually heard.
In addition, some people have reported that they eat less when eating in silence because they become self-conscious of the act of eating itself. Spence says that some of the effects of silent eating have as much to do with the dining environment. “Dining alone or with someone, dining in private or in public, these are all things that will affect how and how much you eat, whether in silence or not.”
Either way, silent eating might help you consume less, whether it is because you’re consciously more aware that you are eating and therefore stop sooner or because your body is more aware of the sensation of eating since it isn’t dulled by noise.
2. You can hear your food: “Food makes noise,” remarks Spence, who is also the author of the forthcoming book “Gastrophysics.” “We don’t concentrate on it. It’s crunchy, crackly, crispy, carbonated, squeaky, etc., which corresponds to mouth-feel, but they are also sound driven.” He points out that food noise is heard externally and internally, so you really can’t get around it — especially when you are eating in silence.
What’s more, “foods that are noisy seem to retain their flavor longer,” he says. “Noisy foods are perceived to have desirable characteristics, such as being fresher. Noise is a sign that foods are more nutritious.”
3. Your food tastes different: “Sound is the forgotten flavor sense,” Spence claims. In a 2012 scientific review on how noise affects the way people perceive flavor published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, he wrote that research clearly demonstrates that what you hear — whether it is the sound of food, the sound of the packaging, the sound of the food being prepared, or the sound of the environment where you are eating and drinking — can exert a profound role in your eating behavior, not to mention on your flavor perception.
“There is a masking of taste when noise is loud,” he says. Numerous studies have looked at the effects of loud restaurants on the taste of food and found that both background noise and loud music can impair the ability to taste food and drink. In silence, your brain is able to pay attention to the flavors that your taste buds are coming in contact with, so you may experience flavors more intensely than if you were to eat the same dish while talking to a friend or in a loud room.
But even if you eat in silence, Spence brings up another point about how noise affects the taste of food. As alluded to earlier when discussing the sound of food, noisy foods tend to be seen as desirable, and this may be one reason why snack foods are popular, says Spence. The sound of the packaging of foods like chips mimics the sound of crisp and fresh foods.
Also, the sound of preparation plays a role in how we taste food and drink. If you think about going to a juice bar or a coffee shop, or even if you’re making juice or coffee in your kitchen, the noise of the machines used to create those beverages can affect the expectations you have and hence the taste of your beverage, according to Spence.
4. Automatically, you’re eating mindfully: Eating mindfully has been a to-do for a while. You probably know the tips by heart: Chew your food more, roll the food around in your mouth, study your food on your plate, etc. When you eat in silence, you can’t help but eat mindfully, Spence says. As mentioned before, without sound to distract the other senses involved in eating, as well as to distract you from the act of eating, you experience the taste, feel and smell of your food and your brain is able to regulate how much you eat.
Basically, if you’re trying to enhance your relationship with food and how you eat it, turning off the world and dining in silence may be the easiest, no-brainer way to do so.
Scriptures on the Directions to Face When Eating
Manusmriti 2:52 says,
manuAayushmam Praangmukho Bhunkthe Yashasyam Dakshinaamukhaha |
Shriyam Prathyangmukho Bhunkthe Rutham Bhunkthe-hyudangmukhaha
Translation: One who desires long life has to face East while eating. One who wants fame has to face South. One who wants wealth must eat facing West and the one who wants the fruit of truth should eat facing North.
The same, as we saw above, the Mahabarata has said (Book 13 on Anusasana Parva, Section 104) that "If one eats with face turned eastwards, one becomes endued with longevity. By eating with face turned southwards, one acquires great fame. By eating with face turned westwards, one acquires great wealth. By eating with face turned northwards, one becomes truthful in speech.
In Kurma Purana, the Lord has said, "While eating, if one sits facing east, one's intelligence is increased, by facing south, one becomes famous, by facing west, one becomes wealthy, and by facing north, one achieves the topmost benefit."
Sources:
1. Mahabarata
2. Kurma Purana
3. Manusmiriti
4. Swami Sivananda's "Yoga in Daily Life" and "Health & Happiness"
5. Paramahansa Yogananda's "Spiritual Diary"
6. Vaishnava Kantha-Hara by Sri Krsna Balaram Swami
7. https://www.24life.com/heres-what-happens-when-you-eat-in-silence/
From conception to emancipation, every aspect of a Hindu's life has been properly regulated for the singular purpose of achieving the said object of our birth in this planet. On the issue of eating, something which every living thing regularly does, the Hindu scriptures have given us guidance so that we can derive the maximum benefits from it and maintain our existence here on earth.
Eat in Silence
Mahabarata Book 13 on Anusasana Parva, Section 104, on this, says, “Panchaardhro Bhojanam Kuryaat Praangmukho Mounam Aasthtita: Na Nindet Anna Bhakshyaamscha Svaadu Asvaadu Cha Bhakshayet”. That is, one should at all times eat (bhojanam) in silence (mounam).
On this issue of silence, Swami Sri Sivananda says, "Observe Mouna (silence) during food," (=when you're consuming food) (pg. 111, Yoga in Daily Life), and "Observe silence when you take your food," (pg. 85, Health & Happiness). And, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi says, "Eat in silence... God loves silence" (December 10, Spiritual Diary by Paramahansa Yogananda).
Research on Multitasking Says
According to eating behavior research, the lack of conversation, music or other noise could change how your body reacts to eating. The absence of sound while you’re stuffing your face appears to heighten other sensations in your body, which could change how you experience your food and, possibly, your relationship with it. Eating in silence affects your body’s reaction to food in four main ways:
1. You eat a lot less: “Our brains keep track of the amount of food sensations that occur,” says Professor Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford in England. “When there is no noise, eating becomes more tactical; and there is more smell sensation, because the auditory sensation of noise isn’t overloading the brain — it is able to attend to the task of eating.” And since there is less distraction, the satiety signals that your stomach sends to your brain are actually heard.
In addition, some people have reported that they eat less when eating in silence because they become self-conscious of the act of eating itself. Spence says that some of the effects of silent eating have as much to do with the dining environment. “Dining alone or with someone, dining in private or in public, these are all things that will affect how and how much you eat, whether in silence or not.”
Either way, silent eating might help you consume less, whether it is because you’re consciously more aware that you are eating and therefore stop sooner or because your body is more aware of the sensation of eating since it isn’t dulled by noise.
What’s more, “foods that are noisy seem to retain their flavor longer,” he says. “Noisy foods are perceived to have desirable characteristics, such as being fresher. Noise is a sign that foods are more nutritious.”
3. Your food tastes different: “Sound is the forgotten flavor sense,” Spence claims. In a 2012 scientific review on how noise affects the way people perceive flavor published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, he wrote that research clearly demonstrates that what you hear — whether it is the sound of food, the sound of the packaging, the sound of the food being prepared, or the sound of the environment where you are eating and drinking — can exert a profound role in your eating behavior, not to mention on your flavor perception.
“There is a masking of taste when noise is loud,” he says. Numerous studies have looked at the effects of loud restaurants on the taste of food and found that both background noise and loud music can impair the ability to taste food and drink. In silence, your brain is able to pay attention to the flavors that your taste buds are coming in contact with, so you may experience flavors more intensely than if you were to eat the same dish while talking to a friend or in a loud room.
But even if you eat in silence, Spence brings up another point about how noise affects the taste of food. As alluded to earlier when discussing the sound of food, noisy foods tend to be seen as desirable, and this may be one reason why snack foods are popular, says Spence. The sound of the packaging of foods like chips mimics the sound of crisp and fresh foods.
Also, the sound of preparation plays a role in how we taste food and drink. If you think about going to a juice bar or a coffee shop, or even if you’re making juice or coffee in your kitchen, the noise of the machines used to create those beverages can affect the expectations you have and hence the taste of your beverage, according to Spence.
Basically, if you’re trying to enhance your relationship with food and how you eat it, turning off the world and dining in silence may be the easiest, no-brainer way to do so.
Scriptures on the Directions to Face When Eating
Manusmriti 2:52 says,
manuAayushmam Praangmukho Bhunkthe Yashasyam Dakshinaamukhaha |
Shriyam Prathyangmukho Bhunkthe Rutham Bhunkthe-hyudangmukhaha
Translation: One who desires long life has to face East while eating. One who wants fame has to face South. One who wants wealth must eat facing West and the one who wants the fruit of truth should eat facing North.
The same, as we saw above, the Mahabarata has said (Book 13 on Anusasana Parva, Section 104) that "If one eats with face turned eastwards, one becomes endued with longevity. By eating with face turned southwards, one acquires great fame. By eating with face turned westwards, one acquires great wealth. By eating with face turned northwards, one becomes truthful in speech.
Sources:
1. Mahabarata
2. Kurma Purana
3. Manusmiriti
4. Swami Sivananda's "Yoga in Daily Life" and "Health & Happiness"
5. Paramahansa Yogananda's "Spiritual Diary"
6. Vaishnava Kantha-Hara by Sri Krsna Balaram Swami
7. https://www.24life.com/heres-what-happens-when-you-eat-in-silence/
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